Kenneth S. Chen

Kenneth S. Chen serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center and is an Attending Physician in the Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Medical Center Dallas. His dual role bridges clinical care for pediatric cancer and blood disorder patients with foundational research in childhood tumor biology.

His academic training includes:

• B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University
• M.D. from UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Pediatric Residency and Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Dr. Chen's research centers on RNA dysregulation in childhood cancers, specifically investigating how mutations in microRNA processing genes (DROSHA, DICER1) drive tumorigenesis in Wilms tumor, pleuropulmonary blastoma, and germ cell tumors. His laboratory explores the genetic mechanisms impairing mRNA production/degradation and identifies therapeutic vulnerabilities arising from these defects, with emphasis on IGF2 regulation, WNT signaling, and proteasome pathways.

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals a dominant focus on DICER1-related tumor syndromes across multiple tumor types. Key trends include therapeutic targeting of RAS/WNT pathways in sarcomas, proteasome inhibition for chemoresistant Wilms tumor, and immunotherapy combinations to reduce radiation toxicity. His work consistently connects molecular defects in RNA processing to clinical manifestations and treatment strategies.

As Principal Investigator of the Chen Lab at UT Southwestern, he leads a research program dedicated to translating discoveries in RNA biology into novel therapies for childhood cancers. The lab actively recruits researchers to investigate mRNA dysregulation mechanisms and therapeutic exploitation strategies.